Garden dreams in progress

Finally, finally, FINALLY there are signs of spring in ChicagoLand.  It’s been a long, tough winter.  This post is primarily to share the eye candy coming up in my yard; it's been a delight this month to watch it begin to happen.

My potted plants have managed to survive on the back porch (which long ago was turned into an extra little room off the kitchen).  It was sometimes chilly but nobody died.  I’ve also tried to keep some sort of bloom going.  I plant a few paperwhite bulbs at a time.  And I’ve bought hyacinths from Trader Joe's.  The fragrance is so intoxicating.  There’s nothing I like better in my office to lighten the gloom of winter.  

And now, finally, my yard is beginning to wake up.  First there were the crocus: 

 Then, the delicious little blue Scilla (siberica) in the back:

And then my newly planted Fritillaria (michailovskyi).  

And then, surprisingly, the tulips.  I expect daffodils first, but not this year.  At this point the daffodils are up too, but the tulips are still ahead and will probably bloom first.  Neither is quite there yet, though:

This morning my rhododendron popped into bloom.  Last year, the tulips and daffodils were blooming first.  This year, it’s the other way around.  

Coco and I watch for flowers in other yards as we walk, and there are now spring bulbs up everywhere.  My next door neighbor’s front is gorgeous, so I can enjoy that until my own blooms appear.

Half of the hyacinths, the ones I planted by the back steps, are coming up (they were a mixture; they’re not all supposed to be pink!  But I guess I don’t really care as long as they smell good).  The ones planted close to the patio have not appeared.  It’s probably colder over there.  I shall sit on the bottom step, though, and drink in that fragrance.  

It’s time – past time – to get going on the spring work of the garden.  The soil is warming up very slowly, but it might be OK to plant snow peas, spinach, lettuce, and other early vegetables.  I did not start tomatoes or peppers from seed this year, so will need to buy plants from my CSA farmer or a farmer’s market.  But at the rate we’re going, it won’t be time to put those plants outside until June.  

That’s OK.  Every day in the garden is a good one.  I will enjoy both the work and the results in my yard.  I spent 16 years in Maryland turning my lot into something beautiful.  Now I’m starting over with a new project.  It’s exciting.